“Add a Venti Iced Coffee and an oatmeal cookie to the order,” the man said, ignoring my statement as he placed a hand on my shoulder, sending an impossible charge through me.
His eyes connected with mine, and my entire body responded to him in a way that I’d never experienced before. I dropped my gaze and felt a warmth swell deep inside me as he continued to watch me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Anytime.” His hand slipped off my shoulder.
“I’m not sure what happened. I should…”
“No need to explain. Banks screw up all the time.” He smiled at me and I nodded, thankful for his ability to put me at ease.
“Well, thanks again,” I said, turning to walk toward the counter where the drinks were called.
I felt his gaze on me and didn’t know what to do. I felt extremely self-conscious as I thought about my day-old wardrobe and messy blond hair. I really didn’t fit in here, but I better start learning how to do so.
“Scone and Venti Pike Place for Hannah,” a female barista with red, spikey hair called out.
“Thank you,” I said, quickly grabbing my food and drink, hoping for a quick escape.
Reaching the door, I glanced behind me and saw the guy grabbing his own drink before looking over at me. My heart stopped as his eyes locked on mine, and I knew I needed to get out of here.
“Hannah,” his throaty voice stopped me in my tracks. “It was nice meeting you.”
He looked so damn charming, and it was really nice of him to cover my order, but I didn’t want to start calling attention to myself. Yet, I was doing that every moment I stood in the coffee house with a dopey smile on my face. I was counting on California to provide the anonymity I needed, and I was also counting on my bank account to be fuller than it was, which had me extremely concerned. I most certainly had enough funds in there to buy a cup of coffee. I couldn’t do what my heart wanted me to do so I waved with the hand holding my scone bag and left the coffee house in a dash.
My truck looked like a refuge as I neared the driver’s side. The fancy car next to me was parked incredibly close to my truck, and I found myself juggling the coffee and scone as I opened my door. Just as I snuck in between the door and seat, my coffee cup took a nosedive, spilling on the pavement below.
“Shoot.” I tossed my scone onto the console and sat in the driver’s seat, closing the door behind me. This wasn’t how I’d imagined rolling into my new town. It had to get better from here, right? Opening my window, I let the warm sea air fill the car as I munched on my scone. I’d have to wait until the car next to me left so I could clean up my mess outside before taking off. Thankfully, I had some water in my car to help wash down the somewhat dry scone that kept sticking in my throat. As I looked around the parking lot and over to the beach, a deep sense of loneliness crept through me. It was a familiar feeling, but this time it was different. I had nothing to hold onto in my new surroundings. There was no one to commiserate with. There was nothing around here that provided grounding or old memories for good or bad. There were palm trees dotting the edge of the parking lot and tiny orange flowers sprinkled along the curb. It was quite different than a foot of dirty snow. I could get used to this.
I heard footsteps behind my car and glanced in the rearview. My heart sped up as I spotted the guy from inside the coffee house. It was definitely my time to exit this parking lot. I quickly put the key into the ignition and turned it, hearing nothing more than a chug and a whir. No turn of the motor. No rev of the engine.
Great!
I saw movement out my driver’s window and saw the man walking along the driver’s side of the car that was parked next to me. So that was his car, seemed fitting. I didn’t even recognize what type of car it was. It just screamed expensive. I twisted the key in the ignition once more, and this time I was met with silence. I didn’t even get so much as a grunt from the engine.
Figured!
Letting out a sigh, I thumped my forehead onto the steering wheel and began to laugh in disbelief.
“Excuse me, Hannah?” The man’s bold voice interrupted my internal comedy hour, and I lifted my head to see his concerned gaze.
“Hey,” I said, pressing my lips together.
“Do you need a ride somewhere?” he asked, placing his hands on his car roof.
“No. I’ve got it,” I said, smiling.
“Do you need me to call a tow truck?” he offered.
“Nah. I think that would go about as well as my coffee venture.”
“Oh, I see.” He glanced across the street toward the beach and back at me. “I saw your plates are from New Hampshire. Here on vacation?”
“Um. Kind of. No. Not really.”
I didn’t need to be having this conversation with him or anyone.
“Are you sure I can’t help get you to where you’re going? I don’t feel right about buying a woman a cup of coffee and then leaving her stranded in a parking lot.” His smile was dazzling and it was everything I could do not to take him up on his offer. But I couldn’t afford to owe anyone anything else, let alone having him know where I was going.
He walked around the front of his car and inched his way between our two vehicles before his eyes landed on my coffee on the pavement. He was now standing directly next to me, and the breeze carried the soft scent of his cologne into the car. God, he smelled good. It was like a mixture of ocean and something else wonderful.
“Today has not been your day, has it?” A slight smirk appeared on his lips as he reached into his suit jacket, grabbing his wallet. “Listen. Here’s my card. If you need anything, give me a call. California’s a huge state. One wrong turn and you’re in a place you really don’t want to be.”
I took the card from him and he smiled.
“Thanks,” I muttered, glancing at the card.
Luke Fletcher
Fletcher Security
Private Security, Risk Management, and Counter Terrorism
“You know,” he began, bending over and picking up the empty cup. “I can’t, in good faith, let you leave here without a cup of coffee. I’ll be right back.”
“No,” I called, but it was too late. He was already out of earshot on his way back into the coffee shop.
I leaned my head against the headrest and let out a garbled groan as I thought about how screwed up things were. How could things go so wonderfully well over the last several days only to end up in the worst possible scenario, without a running car and no money? I needed to get out of here before he came back. He was too much. All of it was too much. I turned the key again and this time the engine almost turned over. I counted to ten and tried again.
“Come on,” I muttered.
“Trying to escape?” I heard Luke laughing as he brought me my cup of coffee.
“Uh, no. I mean,” I laughed. “Maybe. That was faster than I thought.”
“They remembered me and gave it to me free of charge.” He smiled.
I took the cup of coffee from him and placed it in the coffee holder. I might’ve been sheltered for the last twenty-two years of my life, but I wasn’t stupid. I wouldn’t be drinking something from some strange guy, no matter how appealing he was. The more I looked at him, the closer I felt to him, which was just as dangerous.
“I’ve got to get going,” I muttered, waving him away, but all I was met with was deep laughter.
“Are you planning on Flintstoning it out of here?” he asked, his brow arching. “I really don’t mind giving you a ride.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said, glaring at him, but I couldn’t help but laugh. “But no thanks.”
“Oh, right. That was my cue. Listen, you have my business card. I don’t want to make your day any worse so I’ll let you do what you think you’ve gotta do, but if you change your mind… Call me and I’ll get a cab to come for you.”
I nodded and watched as he walked away from my window. He was distracting enough that the loneliness had somewhat dissipated until I realized he
was leaving. Then it slowly seeped back in.
I was stranded in a parking lot twenty minutes away from where I needed to be. I had a debit card that was completely useless, and a guy who was willing to help me out. Was I determined to make my life difficult?
“Umm. Maybe, I’ll save the call and say I’d love a cab ride, and once I’m on my feet, I’ll be sure to—”
“You owe me nothing.” He shook his head and smiled, grabbing his phone out of his pants. I watched him as he called for a cab and wondered how I’d gotten so lucky to meet such a kind soul. I had flown past embarrassment a long time ago, and I was just hoping nothing more would go wrong.
“I’ll wait until the car shows up, and I’ll help you haul everything from your truck into the vehicle. You don’t want to leave anything in the open, even if it’s tied down. What we can’t fit in we’ll put in the cab of your truck,” he said, his eyes meeting mine.
“Thanks.” I bit my lip and thought about what to say to this stranger who’d shown me more kindness in the last thirty minutes than I’d encountered in a long time. “This is really nice of you.”
He shook his head, stripping off his jacket before walking over to the truck bed. I gently maneuvered between our two vehicles and stood next to him, my eyes dropping to his chest. I could literally see the ripple of the fabric from the definition of his muscles. I couldn’t even imagine what that must look like underneath.
He caught my gaze and a tiny curl of his lip surfaced before I turned away, feeling the flush roll up my body.
“You like to park close to things,” I teased, as I worked on untying one of the ropes.
“It’s a bad habit. I tend to get wrapped up in my own world.” He loosened a knot and began on another one.
“I find that incredibly hard to believe,” I said, glancing at him. His awareness and willingness to help me out of my predicament told me otherwise.
“Well, there’s always exceptions to the rule, I suppose,” he said, letting the first set of ropes fall to the side of the truck bed. “Especially if someone is as eye-catching as you.”
I laughed and shook my head. I knew he was only being kind, considering what I looked like compared to the rest of the microcosm. My cheeks warmed as I worked my fingers against the knot, finally loosening it enough to let it fall.
Luke was on the other side of the truck bed, untying the last of the rope when I saw a black Escalade come up behind him and park.
That was odd.
“Your chariot awaits,” Luke said, smiling from across the truck bed.
“That’s a cab?” I asked.
“It’s umm a car service I use and trust,” Luke corrected, his gaze dropping away from mine. “I thought we’d have a better chance of fitting everything inside. Less hassle for you that way.”
My chest constricted with the idea of leaving this kind stranger behind. His compassion was the first genuine gesture I’d experienced in a very long time. But maybe that was how it was in the real world. Maybe my new beginning would be full of Lukes.
“So it is,” I said, nodding. “Thank you.”
There were only five boxes and a suitcase in the truck bed, along with an old wooden chair I couldn’t part with, which in hindsight, seemed pretty odd.
Luke grabbed the first box I pointed to as the driver appeared, ready to help load his SUV with my belongings. The driver was a portly, older man with dark hair, graying around the edges, and he was dressed in a black suit.
I grabbed my suitcase and pushed it into the vehicle. I went back to the cab of my truck, grabbed everything off the seat and inside the console and shoved it into a bag. It felt odd leaving the truck behind. It had become home over the last week and it was mine; one of the few things that was. The moment I figured out what happened with my bank account, I’d get my truck, but for now, I needed to get to the house and internet. I shoved my bag and purse onto the floor of the front seat.
Everything had been transferred to the SUV and relief spread through me, knowing I wouldn’t have to leave anything behind in the truck. I climbed into the SUV as the driver did the same.
Luke walked over to me and stood next to the open door. “Remember, if anything else comes up, you have my number.”
“Why are you being so kind?” I asked softly.
His eyes locked on mine and he smiled.
“You looked like you could use a little kindness in your world. Welcome to California.” Luke closed the door and took a step back, waving as the driver turned on the ignition and stepped on the accelerator.
“Where to, Miss?” the driver asked.
I gave him the address and his jaw tensed. “Are you sure about that address?”
“That’s the one I was given. Why?” I asked.
“It’s not a good part of town. That’s all.”
“Oh. Well, that’s where I’m headed.”
“Very well,” the driver said, turning the vehicle onto the main road.
I looked out the window and saw Luke still following the vehicle with his gaze. I gave him a quick nod and prayed that whatever was waiting for me wouldn’t be worse than what I left back home.
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I sat in the passenger seat horrified, but I didn’t dare drag my gaze away. The world had been told zombies no longer threatened human existence. Yet I was staring at an onslaught of them taking slow, deliberate steps toward our vehicle. We had barely pulled into our driveway when the horde descended out of nowhere.
I managed to slide my fingers along the door to the electric lock. I didn’t know why I thought that would save us. The undead had never let a lock deter them before. I looked around our house and it looked untouched. These creatures were only in our yard, coming for us at a most vulnerable time.
Gavin attempted to take the car out of auto-drive, pressing the buttons frantically and commanding it with voice controls. The car only responded with words. We didn’t control it. The car controlled us.
“Pedestrians within minimum safe distance,” the car said, acknowledging Gavin’s attempts to drive us out of danger.
No shit! We want to run the pedestrians over.
Tiny beads of sweat began forming at my hairline as I watched Gavin repeatedly engage and disengage various controls. Nothing would let us override the car’s safety features.
Gavin’s foot pressed on the accelerator trying to override the computer system, but the car still refused to budge. His foot slid off the pedal, and he quickly replaced it.
Damn these self-driving cars!
The engine red-lined with each attempt from Gavin’s override, but the brain of the car overruled Gavin’s actions with every rev of the motor. Gavin kept shaking his head as his finger slid up and down the dashboard. He glanced at me, his green eyes connecting with mine. I didn’t want to believe what I saw behind them so I turned to look out the window.
I gripped the console as I watched the twitches and spasms of the zombies’ movements closing in on us. They were everywhere…the grass, the sidewalk, the driveway. There was no mistaking the rotting, grey flesh that exposed the muscle and bone of the undead. They were something I’d run from countless times, but this time we had nowhere to run. The undead had us trapped. They would rip us to shreds in an instant.
“I think some of ‘em are new,” I said, turning my attention back to Gavin.
There were some clean-looking zombies staggering toward us, their flesh mostly intact. That made no sense. The outbreak had been contained for months. There should be no freshly infected roaming around. Everyone had been vaccinated. The only stragglers evading capture had been around awhile, so their bodies were beat up badly by the time they were caught. Not these.
“Let’s hope not,” he murmured, not bothering to look out the window to confirm nor deny my suspicions.
“We can’t run. They’d totally get us before we got away,” I said, hoping he’d correct me, tell me that we had a chance.
He didn’t.
He slammed his fist into the steering wheel and looked over at me. When the outbreak happened, we never looked back. We were always on the move, running from the disease that took our families and friends. That was the key to survival. Never stay in one place. Always stay on the move. Now we had nowhere to move. I glanced over at Gavin and saw the fear in his eyes. Even with everything we’d encountered, his eyes had never held this amount of terror.
“Babe, whatever happens…”
“Knock it off,” I said.
“We have nothing to fight them with, and a horde this size needs a distraction.”
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed, shaking my head. The fear was pulsing through me at an unstoppable rate. “We didn’t live through the outbreak to die now.”
I gritted my teeth, grabbed the civilian anti-zombie kit from under my seat, unzipped it, and looked for anything inside that might help. We were instructed to drop these kits off at government collection stations. I was grateful we never got around to it.
Gavin held down the ignition and reverse buttons at the same time in a vain attempt to override the safety sensors.
“Damn it,” he muttered.
“Try rebooting the car. Turn it off and take the key out. Give it a few seconds and slip the key back in. Maybe if you pop it in reverse before the car can sense the zombies, it’ll let us reverse,” I directed.
He nodded, biting his lip, and turned off the engine allowing the moans of the horde outside to be heard. I took a deep breath and looked out my window that was now completely blocked by tattered shirts and non-oozing wounds pressed against the glass. It would only be a matter of time before they began to break through the glass. The moans turned into a chorus of humming.
Beyond Intent Page 22
